Kenya Tailing in Celtel Bloc Growth

Celtel Kenya is tailing Uganda and Tanzania in percentage subscriber growth, a company report has shown.

The report that Business Week has seen, reveals that while Kenya still continues to perform exceptionally well, its subscriber base grew by a mere 19% compared to Uganda’s 64% and Tanzania’s 83%.

While subscriber numbers in Tanzania and Uganda grew from 738, 000 to 1.349 million and from 233,000 to 381,000 respectively, Kenya’s grew from 1.461 million to 1.743 million.

Announcing the 2006 third quarter earnings for the nine months ending September 30, Celtel’s parent company, MTC of Kuwait said the company recorded positive subscriber growth in all 15 African countries in which it operates.

In the report, MTC recorded consolidated revenues of US$ 2.92 billion, an increase of 115% over the same period in 2005 and posted a net income of $767.46 million, an increase of 64% compared to the same period last year.

The report released last month in Kuwait shows that while the group boasts of a growing customer base of 24.9 million customers in both Africa and the Middle East, total Celtel subscriber growth alone stood at 15.270 million up from 5.375 million (184%).

Celtel Zambia topped all the other countries after recording a 116% growth in subscriber numbers while Sierra Leone tailed at 48% growth.

Burkina Faso recorded an 86% growth, Chad (70%), Congo Brazzaville (87%), DR Congo (80%), Gabon (66%), Malawi (107%) and Niger (107%).

Statistics for Nigeria and Madagascar subscriber growth were unavailable because the two operations were only acquired in May 2006 and December 2005 respectively.

However, their customer base stands at over 5.993 million and 302,000 respectively.

There are over 2.462 million subscribers in Sudan where the pan African mobile firm operates as Mobitel.

With 12,000 employees in both Africa and the Middle East, MTC has mobile voice and data services operations in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon.

Industry experts tie the good group performance figures to organic growth, new license awards and acquisitions over the past three and a half years since the company embarked on its profitable expansion strategy.

“The company’s remarkable customer growth is primarily driven by its African operations; and its enviable financial performance is driven by its more mature Middle Eastern operations,” a company statement said.

Mr. Asaad Ahmed Al-Banwan, chairman of MTC said, “We are continuously on the look out for new profitable opportunities.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched a process that will lead to a 3rd license award and we will participate. We are also evaluating a couple of smaller opportunities in Africa.”

Celtel is still basking in its world record borderless network for East Africa launched in September 2006 that allows customers to travel across the three borders without roaming call surcharges and paying to receive incoming calls.

Source-  allafrica  Wireless Mobile Telecom